These are the circulars that will be discussed in the
VERY IMPORTANT MEETING of the 26 th April at 4.00 pm that will be held for the Ministers, secretaries and treasurers at the Conventual Convent Valletta (San Frangisk). Those who have at heart the well being of the Order are advised to persue reading the three Documents listed hereunder as a preperation. Peace and all Good.
Document 1Prot. N. 1794/08
Circ. 63/02-08Rome, March 4, 2008
Laetare Sunday
To :
The SFO International Councillors
The SFO National Councils
To the Emerging Fraternity Councils
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
PEACE AND GOOD!
With the grace of God I am submitting to your attention the CIOFS financial situation prepared by the CIOFS Financial Commission in the attempt to show you in the simplest and most exhaustive way possible the state of affairs in 2006, which does not differ much from that of 2007.
The delay in sending you this report is due to the fact that, having become a legal entity in Italy, we had to respect specific requirements and deadlines for presenting our official accounts. In any case, we are now able to submit our financial situation to International Councillors and National Councils in a simple yet detailed manner.
The documentation attached is self-explanatory. Please make sure you look at all of it. We wish to express our gratitude to the National Councils which fulfilled their duties; some were indeed very generous and helped us to carry out our mission to serve the SFO throughout the world. But if your National Council is amongst those which have not fulfilled their duties, we kindly ask you to do so, as a responsible members of our Order, which nowadays has to answer a lot of demands from both society and the Church.
The Presidency has made an effort to apply the decisions of the 2005 General Chapter, but not all of the constituted fraternities understand their true duty to support the CIOFS and the emerging fraternities. We must remind you that all professed members and all those admitted to the Order have the moral and actual duty of supporting the International Fraternity because we are all people who have professed and live the SFO Rule.
We would like you to understand how much is expected from the International Council and the Presidency.......and how often we receive no coherent and solidary response.
On our part, we attended to all the requests to preside over National Elective Chapters either personally or by delegating International Councillors nearby explaining that we would always like it to be possible for the General Minister or a Presidency member to be present. We conducted all the fraternal and pastoral visits we were asked to conduct. We carried forth the formation project approved by the last General Chapter and conducted two formation courses for present and future national formators in the 4 official languages. We conducted formation courses and seminaries and special visits to many emerging national fraternities (46), which need so much attention and effort on our part. We participated in the II Asian SFO and Youfra Congress, due to the importance of the event, and were able to have providential contacts with many fraternities, especially emerging fraternities. We organized the First International Assembly of the Franciscan Youth, with a significant presence on the part of the Presidency.
It is not our intention to make an endless list, but you will all be aware of how dynamic the life of the International Fraternity is at the request of national, constituted and emerging fraternities throughout the world. However, in support of our Order in the year 2006, out of 102 existing fraternities only 31 made their contribution and 3 of these are emerging fraternities. This means that out of 60 national constituted fraternities only 28 fulfilled their duty in 2006.
The documentation attached to this letter is:
1. 2006 Balance Sheet (seven pages of Excel)
2. Presentation of the Balance Sheet in Word with comments on each section.
3. Report on constituted national fraternities with the contribution fee attributed to each one. We specify which ones sent their entire contribution, which ones sent a partial contribution and those which did not send anything. Also specified are the 2008 contribution fees for each national fraternity.
4. List of the emerging fraternities following the same criterion.
5. Updated list of bank accounts.
In the event that some national councils have sent their contribution and are not included in the list, they are kindly requested to scan their bank receipt and send it to us urgently by email or send us a photocopy by post.
You will note the 2006 deficit has decreased compared to that of 2005, although it was not possible to eliminate it completely. During 2006 and 2007 the Presidency was obliged to use the formation and reserve funds to carry out the normal management. Yet we all know we should respect the donors' will. But how can we go ahead if on the one hand we do not receive contributions from a lot of national fraternities and on the other a greater and more qualified accompaniment service is expected of us?
The Headquarters fund, for which we opened specific bank accounts (in euros and dollars) at the IOR remains intact because it is untouchable and we are pleased to say that we are already in the final process to "officially" come into possession of the property, although the amount remaining to be paid within 2010 amounts to 110.000 euros.
While exercising their responsibility as members of the CIOFS, we ask all the International Councillors to reflect on the financial situation of the International Council and on their position in this respect, both personally and together with their National Council.
We are forced to strongly insist that all national constituted and emerging fraternities send us their contributions although there may have not been a fixed fee for the emerging fraternities because we all have the moral and actual obligation to make a contribution of some sort.
When we are on visit to the national fraternities, how many times have we been asked why the new Church movements are more vital than us? Now we would like to ask you: "Are we aware of the efforts that these members put on financially supporting their organisation and the diffusion of their charism and aims? Does this mean anything to us?” Article 30,3 of the General Constitutions indicates that every member has to make a contribution "according to each one's means”, which means it is left to the conscience of each one of us; this is of fundamental importance and a great responsibility, both personal and of the community.
The Presidency is under the impression that some National Councils do not inform the local fraternities of the actual needs of the SFO, nor do they make an effort to form in this sense their professed members and those in the formation period - consequently we are faced with this regrettable void in the life of our beloved Order.
The 2007 financial, informative and formative, report will be sent to you half way through 2008.
We expect to receive from you an urgent, conscientious and positive reaction to this problem which is of great concern to us. If the situation does not change substantially in the very near future the Presidency will have no other choice than to limit their activities and cancel the next Presidency Meeting scheduled to be held in April to organize the forthcoming General Chapter. They will also be obliged to postpone their visits to establish the National Fraternities of Belarus, Romania and Malawi, the fraternal visit and formation seminary in Cameroon and Chad, the follow up of the initial stage of life of the SFO in Pakistan, Albania, Holy Land, Egypt and so forth.
Thank you for your attention and solidarity. I trust in a positive and quick reply from those of you who are not up to date with their contributions to the CIOFS and, since as of today we are in the time of conversion, I embrace you all tenderly with fraternal love.
Your sister and minister,
Encls. 5 Encarnación del Pozo
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc 2Prot. N. 1811/08 Rome, March 7, 2008
Circ.65/02-08
To: National SFO Councils
International SFO Councilors
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Peace and good to all!
One of the subjects discussed during the last meeting of the CIOFS Presidency, held in Assisi from November 10th through 18th, 2007, was the review and analysis of data provided by National Councils regarding the Demographic Survey. It is worth noting that Presidency Councilors, through their various visits to National Fraternities, have witnessed to the fact that National Councils have worked diligently and carefully in collecting information for this survey in different levels. The end result of this process has become an important resource that has enabled you to have a better knowledge of the membership and, thus, of the local fraternities.
Up to the present day, we have received 50% of responses to the Demographic Survey. This data has become a very valuable tool for the service provided by the Presidency around the world, enabling us to organize and carry out formation projects and other activities. In this way, pastoral plans have been developed according to the needs of each National Fraternity.
At the same time, the Presidency is saddened by the fact that there still are National Fraternities that have not sent the survey back, nor have they even updated their data. Even though this may be due to different reasons, it directly affects the Fraternity itself and reverberates into the whole Order. For all these reasons, we ask you to please UPDATE the Survey attached herewith. Shall you need help in fulfilling this task, do not hesitate to contact us. It is the direct responsibility of the International Council to ensure that this work is properly done on behalf of the National Fraternities.
In order to assist those National Councils which have not yet started this important task, we have attached a “record card format” for the local Fraternities to use in collecting the data from their members. This format is to be distributed to the respective Regional or National Council, according to the particular circumstances, in order to have everybody fill out the Demographic Survey as soon as possible.
We ask you to please submit this data before AUGUST 30, 2008, so that the results may be presented at our next General Chapter. Please send the information to the signer as follows:
Rosalvo Gonçalves Mota
E mail: rosalvom@uol.com.br
Address: Rua Maria Figueiredo, 618 Aptº 164
04002-003 – São Paulo – SP - BRASIL
We thank you in advance for the attention given to this important matter and implore for you the blessing of the Lord who has given us brothers and sisters,
Rosalvo Gonçalves Mota, OFS
Vice-Ministro General
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doc 3 PREPARATORY DOCUMENT TO DEAL WITH THE THEMES OF THE NEXT GENERAL CHAPTER THE PROFESSION OF SECULAR FRANCISCANS AND THEIR SENSE OF BELONGING Introduction What is the Secular Franciscan Order? What is its ecclesial nature? Who is the Secular Franciscan? What does he/she do? What is his/her deepest identity and the nature of his/her belonging to the Church and to the Franciscan Family? How do the Secular Franciscans and the Order, as a whole, place themselves before the world and what is their role? Not only people frequently ask us these important questions but, often, they also emerge even within us, and the response determines the self-affirmation of our “being” and qualifies our “doing.” During almost 800 years of our existence, for more than 500 years (up to 1978 and beyond), the history of the Order has been characterized by a “diminished” life, due to the practical impossibility of secular Franciscans to self-determine themselves and assume their responsibilities as an Order. The Order was prevented, in fact, from “writing its own history,” to give its contribution as an Order and to assume, as a whole, the providential role belonging to it, within the context of the Franciscan Family, to fulfill the mission entrusted to Francis of Assisi by the San Damiano Crucifix. Today, this possibility has become real and it largely depends on us. The Church, in the light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, has providentially reflected about our existence and has recognized the unity and autonomy of our Order in a centralized, world structure. Our history has demonstrated how such elements, already existing in embryo from the beginning, were essential to fully accomplish the project entrusted by God to Francis for us, for the benefit of the Church of all time. But are we truly ready? To what an extent and in what way, has the sense of belonging to an “Order” matured within us?” What is the true and concrete awareness that individual Secular Franciscans have of belonging to a real Order, to an Order that finally, after eight centuries has a unified and centralized structure? “…, (Francis) founded a true Order, that of the Tertiaries, not restricted by religious vows, as the two preceding (Orders), but similarly conformed to simplicity of customs and to a spirit of penitence. So, he was the first to conceive and happily carry out, with the help of God, what no founder of regulars (religious Orders) had previously contrived, to have the religious life practiced by all.” (Benedict XV, Encyclical “Sacra Propediem” June 6, 1921) “You are an Order: a lay Order, but a real Order. Ordo veri nominis, as our predecessor of holy memory, Benedict XV (Sacra propediem, June 6, 1921) called it. You will not, as is obvious, be an assembly of the perfect; but you must be a school of Christian perfection. Without this resolute will one cannot suitably be a part of such a chosen and glorious militia.” (Pius XII, July 1, 1956, Speech to the Tertiaries in Rome)
“…you are also an „Order,‟ as the Pope said (Pius XII): A Lay Order, but a Real Order;” and after all, Benedict XV had already spoken of “Ordo veri nominis”. This ancient term – we can say medieval – “Order” means nothing more than your intimate belonging to the large Franciscan family. The word “Order” means the participation in the discipline and actual austerity of that spirituality, while remaining in the autonomy typical of your lay and secular condition, which, moreover, often entails sacrifices which are not lesser than those experienced in the religious and priestly life.” (John Paul II, June 14, 1988, General Chapter, SFO) Thus, in recent times, three Popes of great stature and spiritual authority have spoken of our Secular Franciscan Order! WE ARE AN ORDER, A LAY ORDER, BUT A REAL ORDER. ORDO VERI NOMINIS ! It is astonishing how in the course of the centuries the Order was always spoken about as “one” even when the Order did not exist as a structured and autonomous entity. Since 1471 up to 1978 the Order had lived in a state of substantial inferiority, of division and practical subjection. In practice, there existed only local Fraternities that were, for all practical purposes, appendices of the respective religious orders who guided them. And yet, this awareness of being only one thing and of operating in a virtually singular, unanimous form never lessened, neither in the awareness of the individual “tertiaries” nor in that of the Church. The longing for unity and autonomy was born with the same lay penitential movement of Saint Francis and, for those who know the history of the SFO, it is well known how, instead, that such aspirations were frustrated from the very beginning. We, today‟s Secular Franciscans, can well say to be privileged: we are the protagonists of a historical epoch-making time in which the dream of all our predecessors becomes reality. It is absolutely essential to realize this and to enter into our role responsibly and with a sense of our history. The SFO is still a fragile creature. The Order must consolidate, it must create anew structures and new and original methods of operating to help the Order to confront the challenges that the world presents to us, be it internally or externally, in order to develop its role effectively in the third millennium of Christian history. The challenges are immense It will be necessary to “invent”, “create” a way of being and to manage ourselves that will correspond to the requirements of a secular Order, composed mainly of lay people, fully involved in the world and in the ordinary activities of family, work and society. It will be necessary to implement an intimate interconnection and effective coordination between all the parts of the Order, without losing the ability to be, everywhere, equal and diverse at the same time, to express the common charism in the varied and complex situations of the world, with that ability to adapt and inexhaustible charismatic thrust that alone can allow us to weave ourselves into the vital fabric of the world. The challenges can be conquered but they can also be lost and the results are not certain. Centralized Structure Centralized structure was, and is, necessary for the purpose of allowing the Order to occupy its place in the Franciscan Family and in the Church and to be an effective apostolic projection of the Franciscan charism in the secular world. The Novitas (Novelty)1 of Francis is connoted by a mission whose field of action is the whole world and the same Roman Pontiff has confirmed this mission also for us since the very beginning of our Order. We are a body composed of some 430,000 professed, who, together with the over 150,000 male and female Franciscan religious must accomplish in time and in history the mission that the San Damiano Crucifix entrusted to St. Francis. We will be able to fully accomplish all this by developing, living and letting grow within us, in every part of the world, a deep Sense of Belonging and a living awareness of the Grace of Profession that has made us Franciscan, fully realizing our Baptismal vocation and introducing us into the body of the Secular Franciscan Order and of the entire Franciscan Family. Profession and Sense of Belonging Profession and Sense of Belonging are two fundamental intertwined elements to fulfill our mission, without which the Order does not and cannot exist. What authentic awareness do we have of the fact that Profession has constituted us in the state of “Professed” members by imparting to us the Franciscan character and introducing us vitally and indissolubly in the body of the Secular Franciscan Order? Does this sense of belonging to the very same body (the Order) surpass the boundaries of states, of languages, of social classes, of cultures in order to make of us one single invincible body, for the spreading of the Gospel and the restoration of the Church in Christ and the restitution of a world redeemed to God the Father? The General Chapter These two fundamental elements of our life are the themes of our next General Chapter. It is essential that all the national Fraternities reflect on these two aspects so that the contributions of excellence that we will receive from the spokespersons will not end in an embarrassed silence due to the lack of preparation of those attending the Chapter. The International Councillors It is, therefore, essential that the International Councillors come to the Chapter well prepared to be the faithful interpreters of the experiences and reflections gathered from the discussions to be held in each country so that this fundamental Chapter reflection may become an authentic moment of grace, a kairos, of holy resolutions that will make our Order strong and vital, as a whole and no longer as simple committed individuals. For this reason, we strongly suggest that in every National Fraternity, constituted or emerging, the National Council organize some moments of qualified reflections to discuss these themes. The tracks are those offered in this document. The Formators The Formators at all levels should take the responsibility to deepen with all their brothers and sisters the nature of Profession, its concrete effects of incorporation into the Order, and the effects of belonging that this incorporation produces.Theme of the 2005 SFO General Chapter: Novelty introduced by saint Francis in religious life and in the Church.
The fruits of this work should be collected and delivered to the International Councillor so as to enable the Chapter, through the spokespersons and all the Capitulars, to provide responses, stimuli, specifications, projects and commitments that may let the Order, and all of us, grow, individually and collectively, to assume completely our role in the Church and in the world. Conclusion We wait to receive from each and everyone of you a reply to this letter and to learn about the initiatives that each National Fraternity, constituted and emerging, will want to take. By way of pure example, we offer, in the form of questions, other possible tracks for discussion and reflection, it being understood that you have full liberty to develop this preparatory work at your own discretion.
1. To what degree is your being Secular Franciscan an essential part of your life? Is your life in Fraternity only a meeting among many others?
2. What can you do to be more involved in the intimate life of the SFO?
3. Profession by its very nature is a permanent commitment. Do you live it as such?
4. Why, according to you, is the local Fraternity so important in the life of the SFO? To what an extent is your Fraternity helping you to accomplish what your Profession demands of you?
5. Does the Fraternity help you to remain faithful to your Profession and to give you a sense of belonging? To what extent do you yourself work to help the brothers and sisters of your Fraternity to achieve these very same goals?
6. Why did you want to enter the Secular Franciscan Order? What contribution do you give to the SFO by means of your Profession and your presence?
7. To what an extent do you believe that the new Rule has contributed to the changes that have taken place in the way of “feeling” the Order and “being” part of it.
8. Do you believe that the sense of belonging that you live today corresponds genuinely to what the Order truly is, to its “nature” and to its mission? Or does it correspond to something else that belongs to the past or to a personal conception of the Order?
If you think that there is not a sufficient sense of belonging to the Order, what are the reasons, according to you?
1. Lack of formation?
2. Lack of communication?
3. Lack of contributions and sharing?
4. Other?
Prot. N.1807 Circ. 64/02-08 Rome, March 5, 2008 To the National Councils of the SFO To the International Councillors SFO and Youfra Dear Brothers and Sisters: May the Lord give you peace! In order to be fruitful and become a strong moment of grace for the entire Order, the upcoming General Chapter must be preceded by:
intensive and constant prayer in all the fraternities throughout the world, so that the Spirit of God our Lord can assist the capitulars of each country in allowing themselves to be guided by Him for the wellbeing of the Order and for the validity of the mission entrusted to the Franciscan Secular Order;
a serious intellectual preparation
For the first objective, the CIOFS Presidency has diffused the text of a prayer to be recited in the entire Order. For the second objective the Presidency has prepared an introductory document on the theme of the Chapter: “The Profession of the Secular Franciscans and their sense of belonging to the SFO”, which we are here attaching, with the purpose of stimulating within the Secular Franciscan Order a global reflection to help in the individual (international councillor) and collective (all the members and the fraternities of our Order) preparation to the Chapter. The national councils and the international councillors, in particular, are asked to divulge this important working tool and assure that it is the object of attentive reflection in their national fraternity; it is, in fact, essential that the maximum attention be given to the preparatory phase of the general Chapter so that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it will achieve its purpose and define the objectives of the Order for the next six years. I would like to particularly ask the international councillors to adequately prepare themselves for this important event and commit themselves to studying in all earnest the theme of the Chapter. Only then can they truly fulfil their institutional responsibilities and become authentic and prepared representatives of their national and international reality. I confide in each and every one of you, and on behalf of the Presidency and the general Secretariat I wish all my brothers and sisters in the world a Happy Easter.
Your sister and minister, Encarnación del Pozo
